Yesterday on Reddit IAMA ("I am a") an arcade owner from Central California answered a Q&A session on Reddit. Going by the username of "TheDJTec," he explained that he owned over 150 machines in his arcade.

Inevitably, the first question he received was the question that has been on everyone's minds ever since they were first duped as a small child: "Are those claw machines rigged?"

"Yes, indeed they are," TheDJTEc admitted. In fact, the machines are rigged so that players only hit the jackpot (ie., get their stuffed animal) as often as the law requires.

TheDJTec gave this explanation: "Under California law my claws are set to 1/12, which means 1/12 players will have a chance to win. The example I used before is a 'toy' requires 10 PSI to lift. My claw during 11/12 tries will apply 4-6 PSI, or just enough to shuffle it or barely pick it up. During the 1/12 tries the claw will apply 9-11 PSI, sometimes picking it up and dropping, some successful."

So while it's not too surprising, it does feel good to finally hear someone on the other side admit that you're never going to win that plush toy, no matter how perfectly you lined the claw up.